2012 REPORT L UA NN A TA L MA OF T N IAME L PAR TATIVES N REPRESE OF HOUSE KAMRA TAD-DEPUTATI PARLAMENT ta’ MALta RAPPORT ANNWALI 2012 cover annual report 2012.indd 1 12/2/13 3:10:28 PM ANNUAL REPORT 2012 ‘There shall be a Parliament of Malta which shall consist of the President and a House of Representatives’. [Article 51 of the Constitution of Malta] ‘Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, Parliament may make laws for the peace, order and good government of Malta in conformity with full respect for human rights, generally accepted principles of international law and Malta’s international and regional obligations in particular those assumed by the treaty of accession to the European Union signed in Athens on the 16th April, 2003’. [Article 65 (1) of the Constitution of Malta] TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD ......................................................................................................................... 7 1. HOUSE BUSINESS ........................................................................................................... 8 1.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................ 9 1.1.1 New initiatives taken by Parliament in 2012 ........................................................ 11 1.2 Legislative Programme ................................................................................................ 13 1.2.1 New legislation and objectives behind the following bills .................................... 13 1.2.2 Amendment Acts and objectives behind the following amendment bills ............. 14 1.3 Parliamentary Questions .............................................................................................. 16 1.4 Ministerial Statements ................................................................................................. 16 1.5 Petitions........................................................................................................................ 17 1.6 Motions ........................................................................................................................ 17 1.7 Papers Laid................................................................................................................... 19 1.8 Rulings ......................................................................................................................... 20 1.9 Parliamentary Whips .................................................................................................... 20 1.10 Leader of the House ................................................................................................... 21 2. STANDING COMMITTEES ......................................................................................... 23 2.1 Standing Committee on House Business ..................................................................... 23 2.2 Standing Committee on Privileges............................................................................... 25 2.3 Standing Committee on Public Accounts .................................................................... 26 2.4 Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs ............................................... 27 2.4.1 Subsidiarity ........................................................................................................... 30 2.4.2 Informal Meetings ................................................................................................. 31 2.4.3 Sub-Committees .................................................................................................... 31 2.4.4 Meetings of the Working Groups .......................................................................... 33 2.5 Standing Committee on Social Affairs ........................................................................ 33 2.6 Standing Committee for the Consideration of Bills ..................................................... 36 2.7 Standing Committee on Family Affairs ....................................................................... 38 2.8 National Audit Office Accounts Committee................................................................ 39 2.9 Standing Committee on Environment and Development Planning ............................. 41 3. SELECT COMMITTEES ............................................................................................... 45 3.1 Select Committee tasked with establishing the facts about the issue of black dust precipitation over the southern localities of Malta ............................................................ 45 3.2 Select Committee on re-codification and consolidation of laws ................................. 46 3.3 Select Committee on Strengthening Democracy ......................................................... 48 4. INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES ................................................................................. 50 4.1 Outgoing visits and participation in international fora by Mr Speaker ....................... 50 4.1.1 Working Visit to London, 1–3 February ............................................................... 50 4.1.2 Official Parliamentary Visit to Iceland, 11–14 March ......................................... 50 4.1.3 Seventh Conference of the Presidents of Parliaments of Small European States, 9–11 September .............................................................................................................. 51 4.1.4 Official Parliamentary Visit to China, 13–21 September ..................................... 51 4.1.5 Official Parliamentary Visit to Tunisia, 17–19 October ...................................... 51 4.1.6 Second EU-League of Arab States Ministerial Meeting, 13 November ................ 52 4.1.7 EU Speakers Conference, 19–21 April ................................................................. 52 4.2 Outgoing Visits of Maltese Parliamentary Delegations ............................................... 53 4.2.1 Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs ....................................... 53 4.2.2 European Parliament and European Union Presidency Meetings....................... 53 4.2.3 Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe............................................... 55 4.2.4 Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean .................................................... 58 4.2.5 Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean.............................. 60 4.2.6 Commonwealth Parliamentary Association ......................................................... 62 4.2.7 Inter-Parliamentary Union ................................................................................... 63 4.2.8 Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe ............................................................................................................................ 63 4.2.9 Other meetings ...................................................................................................... 64 4.3 Incoming Visits and conferences organised by the Maltese parliament ...................... 64 4.3.1 Visit by the President of the German Parliament (Bundestag) ............................. 64 4.3.2 Conference on ‘Mixed Legal Systems, East and West: Newest Trends and Developments’................................................................................................................ 65 4.3.3 Visit by a delegation from the People’s Political Consultative Conference of China .............................................................................................................................. 65 4.3.4 Visit by a delegation from the Malta-Germany Parliamentary Friendship Group66 4.3.5 Conference of the European Public Law Organisation (EPLO), 20–21 July ...... 66 4.3.6 7th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean ......... 67 4.3.7 Colloquy of the European Association of Former Members of Parliament of the Member States of the Council of Europe ....................................................................... 68 5. ASSOCIATION OF FORMER MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT .............................. 70 6. OTHER ACTIVITIES.................................................................................................... 72 6.1 Inter-School 6th Form Debating Finals ....................................................................... 72 6.2 Visit by Police Recruits ............................................................................................... 72 6.3 Ekoskola Parliament .................................................................................................... 72 6.4 Sette Giugno ................................................................................................................. 73 6.5 Science in the House .................................................................................................... 73 6.6 National Youth Parliament .......................................................................................... 74 6.7 Notte Bianca................................................................................................................. 74 6.8 Engaging with Civil Society ....................................................................................... 74 6.9 Seminar on the Democratic Process in the Mediterranean and the Middle East ......... 74 7. OBITUARIES ................................................................................................................. 75 MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT